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Located 30 miles south of Rochester, Letchworth State Park (nysparks.com) covers 14,300 acres along a 17-mile stretch of the Genesee River. The river has carved a deep gorge, with walls as high as 600 feet in places, leading to the park that's called the "Grand Canyon of the East." You can explore Letchworth State Park on several hiking trails, including the Gorge Trail, which follows the western rim of the Letchworth Gorge and includes numerous scenic overlooks and views of three major waterfalls.

Park Information

The Genesee River essentially bisects Letchworth State Park into two halves, with most of the park's developed facilities on the western side of the river. The park has a campground for both tents and RVs, as well as rental cabins, fishing access and numerous picnic areas and playgrounds. The park also has dining facilities at the Glen Iris Inn and a museum with information and exhibits on the history of the area. The Gorge Trail passes through or near most of the park's developed areas.

The Gorge Trail

The Gorge Trail begins at the trailhead and parking area near the Portageville entrance at the southern end of Letchworth State Park. From there, it winds nearly eight miles downstream to the St. Helena picnic area. Along the way, the trail passes over streams and through forests, and you can pause at several overlook points to view the far side of the gorge and the Genesee River below. The terrain ranges from easy to moderate, and the trail is well-groomed and marked with yellow blazes. While many of the trails in Letchworth State Park are multi-use and open to bicycling and, in some cases, horseback riding, the Gorge Trail is for hikers only.

Waterfalls

Three major waterfalls -- known as the Upper, Lower and Middle falls -- are located along the Gorge Trail and are among Letchworth State Park's prime attractions. The Upper Falls is the closest to the Portageville trailhead and requires the shortest hike to reach if you start the trail at this end. The Middle Falls is the highest at 107 feet and is located near a large picnic area with restrooms, shelters and concessions. The Lower Falls is about 2.5 miles from the trailhead, and you can reach it by following a short side trail.

Other Trails

Letchworth State Park has more than 60 miles of hiking trails. Several of these trails, including the 2.5-mile Mary Jameson Trail and the 1.5-mile Deer Run Trail, are directly connected to the Gorge Trail. The less-developed eastern half of the park may lack many of the amenities found on the western side of the river, but it more than makes of for it in hiking opportunities. Perhaps most noteworthy among the many trails on this side of the park is the Letchworth Trail, which stretches 24 miles and includes a shelter roughly halfway along its length, making it an ideal trail for a weekend hiking trip.

References

About the Author

Richard Corrigan has been a full-time professional writer since 2010. His areas of expertise include travel, sports and recreation, gardening, landscaping and the outdoors. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from SUNY Geneseo in 2009.

Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Images related to Letchworth State Park

Upper Falls in Letchworth State Park, Portage Bridge in the background.

Overlooking the middle falls of Genesee river from inspiration point in Letchworth State park.

A view from the Upper Falls in Letchworth State Park.

Waterfalls and gorge scenery in Letchworth State Park, New York, USA.

Overview map showing Letchworth State Park in the state of New York, and various approach routes. This PNG file was generated from a multilanguage SVG source file, listed in Other Versions. If you want to modify this map, modify the SVG and then re-export this and all other single-language PNGs.